A child's Primary School years, Pre-K-Grade 1, are formative ones for developing positive attitudes toward self, others, and the world. At Glenelg Country School, we all strive to nurture the whole child through a wide range of experiences in academics, the arts, technology, and physical activities. We seek to instill curiosity and enjoyment in the quest for knowledge and to influence positive attitudes toward others and the greater world community. The Primary School staff is committed to providing individual attention and early intervention to insure the social and academic success of each student. In addition we strive to work closely with our students' families to build the necessary foundations for success and to provide educational opportunities for parents in the area of child development and parenting.

Pre-Kindergarten
The Pre-Kindergarten at Glenelg Country School offers a developmental program for four-year-olds. The two classes strive for a balance of boys and girls with a teacher and an assistant teacher in each class. Children in Pre-Kindergarten are grouped according to age. The basic program meets five days a week, 8:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with the option for an extended day until 3:30 p.m. (when our K-1 students are dismissed) or up to 6:00 p.m. (when the GCS Extended Day Program closes). Supervision before 8:15 a.m. may also be arranged. The curriculum for the Pre- Kindergarten program is experiential in nature. Opportunities for developing readiness skills in language arts and mathematics as well as science and social studies foster excitement in learning through individual and small group experiences. Ample time for play with appropriate early childhood equipment and with peers allows the children to develop positive social skills. The children also develop competence in self-care skills. There is time inside and outside for activities that develop gross-motor skills. Arts and crafts projects enhance fine motor skills as well as a sense of accomplishment. The weekly activities are enriched through experiences with special teachers in foreign language, art, music, physical education, and the librarian. On a daily basis the students have a morning snack. Lunch is brought from home unless a child is participating in the catered lunch program. Milk is provided for all students for snack and at lunchtime. The school also provides graham or saltine crackers or other appropriate snacks mid-morning. A naptime is part of the extended day for those children who stay past 1:00 p.m. The Pre-K program classrooms are located on the main level near the entrance of the Primary School Building.

Kindergarten
Our full day Kindergarten program, 8:15 AM-3:30 PM, offers the opportunity to interact socially through a variety of activities as well as to develop a solid foundation in academics necessary for success in the early elementary grades. There are three classes with a teacher and assistant teacher in each classroom. The Kindergartners use hands-on materials for learning in all curricular areas. They develop pre-reading and pre-writing skills primarily through phonics instruction and the use of traditional and contemporary literature while using the multi-sensory Open Court Program. The math program uses the MacMillan/McGraw Hill curriculum as a foundation and stresses a hands-on approach to learning concepts. The Social Studies curriculum incorporates geography as well as United States and world history through units on holidays, other cultures, and the Rain Forest. Cycles of nature and life are discussed and experimented with throughout the science program. Science activities include opportunities for hands-on activities in the Primary School Science Lab with the science resource teacher. The Kindergarten curriculum is enriched with special classes in music and art twice a week, conversational French or Spanish three times a week, physical education three times a week, computer lab, science lab, and library weekly. The nurturing atmosphere of the Kindergarten helps each child develop positive group social skills as well as independent self-care skills.

Pre-First Class
Glenelg Country School opened our Pre-First Class in the fall of 1997. This program is designed for children finishing their Kindergarten year who need an opportunity to strengthen social, emotional, organizational, and/or motor skills prior to moving on to a challenging academic First Grade Program. The Kindergarten students with later birthdays are likely to go into the Pre-First Class. These students may have fine intellect yet struggle to keep up with peers who are developmentally ahead. The Pre-First setting provides children the chance to grow and develop the skill areas that are so important to later school success. The small class led by a teacher and an assistant teacher enables the student to grow, allowing him or her to progress at their individual pace academically. Although the group is self-contained, the class occasionally joins with other primary classes for special activities when appropriate. Recess times are also coordinated to provide social experiences with other children of appropriate ages. Pre-First students also have art and music classes twice weekly, PE and foreign language three times weekly, Computer Lab, Science Lab, and the Library once a week.

First Grade
Students in Grade 1 are assigned to three heterogeneous homeroom classes that offer a balance of boys and girls. Each classroom has a teacher and an assistant teacher, where the students' social and emotional growth is fostered along with their intellectual and physical development. The students are divided into homogeneous groupings based on skill and ability for mathematics and language arts instruction. First graders move into a more structured academic program that also offers a continuation of the enrichment opportunities in French and Spanish, art, music, physical education, computer, Science Lab and visits to the school library begun in Pre-Kindergarten. The First Grade curriculum is fast-paced and also utilizes the Open Court reading program with a coordinated, multi-sensory approach to reading and writing that stresses phonics, sight word acquisition, and comprehension, along with penmanship and spelling. Independent reading activities, quality paperback books, and the Accelerated Reader Program also challenge students. In mathematics, manipulatives are used to reinforce the basic concepts while the program also provides practice in computation skills in addition, subtraction, and beginning multiplication. Problem-solving, critical thinking skills and "hands-on" activities are an integral part of the program in both mathematics and science. The First Grade social studies program focuses on U.S. history and geography as well as Ancient Egypt, Aztecs, Mayans and Inca Indians. Science instruction includes units on magnetism, the human body, simple machines, and dinosaurs and provides opportunities for hands-on activities in the Primary School Science Lab with the Science resource teacher weekly.
Whenever possible, the special subjects, including art, music, physical education, science lab, computer lab and library, integrate new skills in the context of the classroom curriculum at all grade levels. The curriculum integration enhances the child's acquisition of new learning with active learning experiences.